MCP2-29-24

12A —Marshall County Post, Thursday, February 29, 2024 C hildren’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is celebrat- ing 20 years asMiddle Ten- nessee’s fi rst full-service children’s hospital and is commemorating its mis- sion of caring for children and their families. This month marks the 20th anniversary since Monroe Carell opened its doors to serve its fi rst pa- tients in 2004 when it ex- panded from three pediat- ric fl oors within Vanderbilt University Hospital to what is now a 12- fl oor, 325-bed state-of-the-art hospital, with more beds coming later this year. Since opening, Monroe Carell, one of the nation’s leading children’s hospi- tals, has experienced two decades of tremendous growth, cared for thou- sands of children and fami- lies, and achieved numer- ous milestones in its mis- sion to provide exceptional, compassionate health care to children. “We are proud of Mon- roe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital’s legacy of service to generations of children and families, and hope the Middle Tennessee com- munity will join with us to recognize this important milestone. Through ongo- ing investments in talented, caring people and in new programs, we continue to strengthen our commit- ment tothemost vulnerable patients we serve,” said Je ff Balser, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive O ffi cer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The demand for pediat- ric health care in Nashville has surpassed all projec- tions, leading to expansions in the size and scope of programming and in facil- ity space at Monroe Carell. In the hospital’s fi rst year, there were 9,500 inpatient admissions and 106,000 clinic visits. By end of 2023, the numbers had increased to 17,150 admissions with 428,600 clinic visits. In 2004 there were 34,000 Pediatric Emergency De- partment visits, with a number that is on pace in 2024 to approach 54,000. Patients come from 48 states and the District of Columbia. MonroeCarell has near- ly 4,000 employees, with more than 500 physicians trained in 31 medical and surgical specialties fromad- vanced fetal diagnostics to dedicated pediatric cancer care, cardiology, endocri- nology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, neurology, neurosurgery and urology. “We are privileged to care for children and fami- lies from across the nation. On Monroe Carell Jr. Chil- dren’s Hospital’s 20th an- niversary, we are celebrat- ing the millions of young lives that have been saved or improved by our talent- ed physicians, nurses and sta ff . Through their e ff orts, these dedicated individu- als are having an enormous impact each day,” said C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Of- fi cer and Chief Health Sys- temO ffi cer for VUMC. Through innovation, advocacy and research, the hospital has made signi fi - cant contributions to the health and well-being of children including pioneer- ing research in fetal sur- gery; leading gene therapy treatments for diseases like spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy; innovating per- sonalized medicine thera- pies for childhood cancer; establishing Centers of Ex- cellence for the treatment of diabetes, congenital heart disorders and sickle cell disease; and advancing spe- cialized neonatal intensive care, with a 116-bed NICU, among the largest and old- est in the country. “It has been the honor of a lifetime career to watch and partake in the journey of Monroe Carell Jr. Chil- dren’s Hospital at Vander- bilt. I am incredibly grateful to the leaders and teams, past and present, who have worked together to advance our programs on- and o ff - campus,” said Meg Rush, MD, MMHC, President of Monroe Carell. “This work has been further enabled by our many partners in the greater Nashville com- munity, starting with the Carell family. We truly would not be the beacon of hope and healing that we are today without this sup- port. Monroe Carell set our vision for this hospital, and here we are today realizing how far we have come, yet also appreciating his vision remains the foundation of our work going forward.” The hospital is named for the late Monroe Carell Jr., former chairman and CEOofCentralParkingCor- poration. Carell and his late wife, Ann Scott Carell, were noted philanthropists, pas- sionate champions of child health and visionaries for the creation of a full-service children’s hospital. Their family continues this legacy with their three daughters, Julie Carell Stadler, Kath- ryn Carell Brown and Edie Carell Johnson, and their families. “More than 20 years ago, our parents had a dream for a world-class children’s hospital that cared for children as well as their families,” said Ju- lie Carell Stadler, a Mon- roe Carell Advisory Board member. “They envisioned a leading pediatric health facility and research institu- tion thatwas also full of em- pathy and even fun. My sis- ters, our families and I are grateful for the dedicated hospital sta ff who bring this place to life, translating our parents’ passion into com- passionate care for families. On behalf of the Carell fam- ily, we know our parents would be delighted to see this beautiful celebration of 20 years of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and a century of caring for our community’s children.Wearehonored to carry on their legacy.” The foundation for the Monroe Carell facility and pediatric health care in Nashville began in 1923 when the Junior League of Nashville opened theHome for Crippled Children, es- tablishing a partnership with Vanderbilt, to provide convalescent and rehabili- tative medical care for chil- dren with polio and other diseases. Monroe Carell, de- signed by and for families, has seen two major physi- cal expansions on campus over the past two decades: fi rst in 2012, with a 33- bed 30,000-square-foot addition; and then a sec- ond in 2016, with the cur- rent, ongoing four- fl oor, 160,000-square-foot ex- pansion atop the existing building. Once the latest expansion is complete, Monroe Carell will have 401 beds and more than 1 million square feet on the main campus. To bring care closer to where patients and fami- lies live, Monroe Carell has also expanded its footprint across the entire state and intoKentucky andAlabama to include 30 o ff -site and a ffi liated locations, includ- ing several long-standing partnerships with regional hospitals. As part of this ef- fort, in 2019, the hospital opened the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital Vanderbilt Surgery and ClinicsMurfreesboro. Quickly established as a leading pediatric health care facility, Monroe Carell has consistently earned ac- colades as a best children’s hospital in the nation. In 2023 Monroe Carell was ranked the No. 1 children’s hospital in Tennessee and was one of just 23 hospitals in the nation ranked in 10 out of 10 pediatric specialty programs in U.S. News and World Report’s Best Chil- dren’s Hospitals. Monroe Carell has made the Best Children’s Hospital list for 17 consecutive years. In 2022, Monroe Carell achieved its fourth Magnet designation fromtheAmer- ican Nurses Credentialing Center. This is the highest honor an organization can receive for the provision of nursing care and interpro- fessional collaboration. The Department of Pediatrics has also earned the distinc- tion as a top-four pediatric academic research institu- tion. The hospital was also once again named a Leap- frog Top Hospital for 2023, earning the designation among an elite group of children’s hospitals across the nation. Monroe Carell is the only one of eight chil- dren’s hospitals in the U.S. and the only children’s hos- pital in Tennessee to make the 2023 “Top Children’s Hospitals” list. Monroe Carell celebrates 20 years helping children Exterior of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. –Photo by Anne Rayner Viviana Ramirez, 6, celebrates the 20th anniversary of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with hospital mascot Champ. Photo by Brian Hallett.